A Hard Day’s Night … with Jimmy Page?

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Created: 24 February 2017

The Beatles first film A Hard Day’s Night is today considered a classic. Drawn from their real-life experiences, this fictionalized peek into their world feels real, as if we were getting an intimate glimpse into the personalities within the group, and the interaction between each other and with the outside world.

Of course, it was no accident that A Hard Day’s Night was an artistic success. Although the Beatles and their music were obviously major factors for that accomplishment, the crew and cast members deserve much deserved praise for elevating the film from the exploitation quickie that would have been fine for the powers behind United Artists: They wanted the film to be released quickly before the Beatles “fad” had faded, so the studio could benefit from both the film’s box office receipts and the music rights for the songs in the film.

The talents best known for their contributions include director Richard Lester, screenwriter Alun Owen, musical score director (and Beatles producer) George Martin, and actor Victor Spinetti. There are other participants who not only also contributed their talents to the film, but other projects they handled in their career make for some very interesting – and sometimes unlikely – links to the Beatles’ first film.

One of those individuals was Jimmy Page. Before gaining worldwide fame as the guitarist, writer, and producer for Led Zeppelin, Page was a popular session player throughout the 1960s, contributing to hits by rock icons including the Who, Donovan, the Kinks, and Joe Cocker, to name a very few. Jimmy Page never contributed to any songs recorded by the Beatles: The only other players on Beatles’ sessions were generally those who either played instruments that were beyond their own talents (e.g. the piccolo trumpet on “Penny Lane”), producer George Martin, or “special guests” (Eric Clapton, Billy Preston).